page_title: History of Chelsea F.C.
section_title: The Italian Renaissance: Gullit, Vialli and Zola (1996–2000)
hierarchical_section_title: History of Chelsea F.C. / The Italian Renaissance: Gullit, Vialli and Zola (1996–2000)
caption_attribution_description: 12.2.18
context_page_description: C.
  Chelsea are one of England's most successful ever clubs having won 6 league titles, 8 FA Cups, 5 League Cups, 4 FA Charity/Community Shields, 1 UEFA Champions League, 2 UEFA Cup Winners' Cups, 2 UEFA Europa Leagues and 1 UEFA Super Cup.
context_section_description: Gullit was appointed player-manager for the 1996–97 season, and added several top-class players to the side, including European Cup-winning Juventus striker Gianluca Vialli, cultured French defender Frank Leboeuf and Italian internationals Gianfranco Zola (whose skill would make him a firm favourite with the crowd and see him become one of Chelsea's greatest ever players) and Roberto Di Matteo (the latter for a club record £4.9 million). They were later joined by the powerful and prolific Uruguayan midfielder Gus Poyet and Norwegian "super-sub" Tore André Flo. With such players, it was under Gullit and his successor that Chelsea emerged as one of England's top sides again and gained a reputation for playing a neat, entertaining and attractive passing game performed by technically gifted players, though the club's inconsistency against supposed "smaller" teams remained.
  Gullit capped an impressive first season in management by leading Chelsea to their highest league placing since 1990 (sixth) and winning the FA Cup, ending the club's 26-year wait for a major trophy. The most memorable match of the run was a fourth round comeback against Liverpool, in which Chelsea, inspired by Hughes, overturned a 2–0 half-time deficit to win 4–2. The 2–0 victory over Middlesbrough in the final at Wembley got off to a frantic start with Di Matteo scoring after 43 seconds; Eddie Newton's late goal clinched it. The win was a happy end to a season which had looked to be dominated by sadness after the death in October of popular director and financial benefactor Matthew Harding in a helicopter crash following a League Cup match against Bolton Wanderers.
  Gullit was suddenly sacked in February 1998, ostensibly after a contract dispute, with the team second in the Premiership, and in the semi-finals of two cup competitions. Another player-manager was appointed, the 33-year-old Vialli. Vialli began his management career in style by winning two trophies in two months. The League Cup was secured with another 2–0 win over Middlesbrough at Wembley (with Di Matteo again on the scoresheet). Chelsea reached the Cup Winners' Cup final following a dramatic semi-final win against Vicenza. Having lost the away leg 1–0 and then conceded an away goal in the second leg, Chelsea bounced back to win 3–1 on the night and go through, with Hughes again the catalyst. They won their second Cup Winners' Cup title with a 1–0 victory against VfB Stuttgart at the Råsunda Stadium in Stockholm; Zola, a second-half substitute, scored the winning goal just 17 seconds after coming on. Following that, Vialli led the club to a 1–0 win over European champions Real Madrid in the Super Cup at the Stade Louis II in Monaco.
  During the 1998–99 Premiership campaign, Chelsea made their first sustained challenge for the title for years. Despite an opening day loss against Coventry City, the side were not beaten in the League again until January and topped the table at Christmas. Their title chances eventually disappeared after a home loss to West Ham and consecutive draws against Middlesbrough, Leicester City and Sheffield Wednesday in April, which saw the Blues finish third, four points behind winners Manchester United. A season which promised much ultimately ended trophyless, as Chelsea's defence of their Cup Winners' Cup title ending in a semi-final loss against Mallorca. They were also knocked out of both the other cups in the quarter-finals. Third place in the league was nevertheless high enough for a first-ever appearance in the Champions League.
  Forty-four years after being denied entry to the inaugural championship, Chelsea made their debut in Europe's premier competition in August 1999 and they put in a series of impressive performances en route to a quarter-final tie against Barcelona. It included memorable draws at the San Siro and the Stadio Olimpico against Milan and Lazio respectively, as well as a thumping 5–0 win against Turkish side Galatasaray at the Ali Sami Yen Stadium. During the first leg of the quarter-final against Barcelona at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea took a 3–0
caption: Gianfranco Zola, Tore André Flo and Gianluca Vialli at Stamford Bridge in 2018
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